Long jail sentence for auto title crook

TRENTON -- A city man Monday was sentenced to 17 years in prison for masterminding a scam to obtain fraudulent vehicle titles from the state Motor Vehicle Commission and resell them for up to $1,000 each.

Corey Tucker, 34, of Clover Street, pleaded guilty to numerous counts of conspiracy to commit official misconduct, forgery, theft deception, assuming false identities, trafficking and wrongful impersonation brought against him by both the Mercer Prosecutor's Office and the State Attorney General's Office.

Tucker admitted he fraudulently obtained numerous motor vehicle titles in the names of other people.

The crimes occurred from September 2006 to November 2007.

An investigation by the New Jersey State Police revealed that Tucker had obtained the titles with the assistance of clerks, many of them in the Special Titles Unit of the Motor Vehicle Commission.

Tucker obtained the titles through various scams, including circumventing the regular titling procedures by using a special procedure through which public agencies obtain certification of ownership for abandoned vehicles being sold at public auctions.